Good Morning,
Yesterday around 10:30 I sent the attached letter to Campanelli outlining certain issues that I felt should be addressed right away. (I drafted the letter to be sent on the 13th, but after distributing it to the rest of the board for revisions and additions it became necessary to send it immediately. So the date is wrong at the top.)
As you can see from the letter there were two main issues that we initially address. Client exposure and the lack of proper infrastructure in the office to ensure a safer working environment. As of the writing of this email the only response I received from management is the email you all received where Campanelli attached fliers from the CDC. Nothing as of yet addresses the specific issues that I addressed in the letter. I have also sent an email to the County Labor Department to at least try and address the infrastructure issues. i.e hand sanitizers and running out of soap etc. I have also attached two other documents from AFSCME Council 31 regarding the Coronavirus that hopefully will also offer some guidance.
Prior to sending this email to you I spoke with Council 31 staff about what if any meetings that the County is having with labor about this situation. As of the writing of this email there have not been any meetings at the County level that include Council 31 or the other Unions. Local leadership will keep pressing for more information this as this crisis continues.
Other issues have been brought to my attention by members since my drafting of this letter that are worth discussion. Some of those include what happens if the courts are shut down but not the county, what happens if the County shuts down but not the courts, will we be compensated either way, what will be our obligations under wither situation, what are we doing about jail visits or client meetings among others. Our contract is pretty clear on court closures; i.e snow days and day after Thanksgiving. However there will need to be discussion with the County if we are out for longer, or if we are not out at all.
Local leadership would advise to follow the CDC (sent to you by management) and AFSCME (attached here) guides. Furthermore do what you feel you need to do in order to keep you and your family safe. The Union will support you in your decision should the need arise. Hopefully soon management will reach out to Local leadership and and together we can develop a protocol for addressing issues specific to this office for this crisis.
I know this crisis has everyone on edge for both ourselves and families and for our clients as we are literally on the front lines in close contact with a litany of people everyday who also happen to be in high risk populations
We will disseminate as much information as we can as soon as we get it.
Stay Safe and please feel free to reach out with questions. We will try and answer what we can.
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Kevin OchallaPresidentLocal 3315